The Voyagers Series ~ Europe ~

By Will Rhame

A New Approach to Reading & Retention!
Become a part of the fast-paced adventures that invite you to our website, www.TheVoyagers.net, for an interactive learning experience!
1. Questions & Trivia (At the end of each chapter)
2. Life Lessons (Character-building traits)
3. Online Puzzles (Words from each chapter)
4. Online Games (Different for each chapter)
5. Parent/Teacher Guide (On the website)

~www.TheVoyagers.net~

Each book in The Voyagers Series is a fun-filled adventure in which readers explore different continents during past eras. What makes this series unique is that it requires readers to transition back and forth from the book to the website, where they complete puzzles and obtain the code to play exciting, interactive games that further engage them on their travels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781480895836

Will Rhame

Will Rhame creates a unique reading experience for children with The Voyagers Series. He is also co-author of Business Golf: The Art of Building Relationships Through Golf, which he used to teach thousands how to play the perfect round of business golf. Rhame is the founder of the Executive Sports Club and the CPA Club, a national franchise.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Will Rhame.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-9584-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-9582-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-9583-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020917434

Archway Publishing rev. date: 2/25/2021

A New Approach

to Reading and

Retention

Let the Adventure Begin!

This book is dedicated to my

three daughters,

Shyla, Arlee, and Mauree,

and is presented in

remembrance of

Jean Ann Rhame,

whose unconditional support made this project possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I extend my deepest gratitude to each of my collaborators. Apart from them, The Voyager Series would not have been a reality.

Howard S. Harris, Attorney

Orville H. Huseby, Attorney

John Davidson, CPA

Dr. Gayani Leonard, Supporter

Barbara Sealund, Online games developer

Dr. Ken Christensen, Website developer

Sanjeev Kumar, Webmaster

Job Leyve, Graphics designer

Gino Legaspi, Website musical composer

Linda Rooks, Editor

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Measurement code:

1 arm = 1 yard

1 hand = 6 inches

62770.png

CHAPTER

62778.png

ONE

The smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen awakened Erin from a deep sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and began to focus on a trickle of sunlight making its way through her bedroom window. She stretched her lean body, put her hands behind her head, and stared up at the ceiling. As the haze of sleep began to clear, she thought about the story of a distant land that her dad told last night.

Her father, David, had been a professor of theater at Bristol University in the southwest of England for twenty years. Since 1980, he had earned the respect of all who knew him for his elaborate stage productions. To his credit, he had amassed one of the largest collections of authentic, multi-cultural costumes in the world. As far back as Erin could remember, her father had told incredible stories about different countries and the peoples’ ways of life. She had promised herself to travel around the world after turning eighteen. She had three more years to wait and her brother, Drew (who also thought it was a great idea), had four.

Erin wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked at her walls. They were covered with maps and pictures of her favorite countries. As she gazed around, she saw some clothes on the floor, and the reality of daily chores snapped back into her mind. Fortunately for her, the home was small.

After a big yawn, she decided to get up and play yet another joke on Drew. It was almost a ritual, but she was never predictable. She got out of bed and slid into her favorite jeans. After dressing, she quietly opened her door and walked to her brother’s room. Drew’s door was still closed, and with a little smirk, she leaned a heavy broom against it. Drew was usually half asleep after he got up, and she knew that when he eventually opened his door, the broom would crash to the floor. Erin certainly loved her brother, but she relished teasing him whenever possible.

The teens’ mother, Jean, kissed Erin on the cheek and handed her a wicker basket. Did you sleep well, dear? Jean asked.

Yes, Mother, Erin replied. She grabbed the basket to collect the laundry that was to be washed. Later, after placing the cleaned clothes into the dryer, she took a rug to the back yard and threw it over the fence. Erin began slapping the back of it with a stick to get the dirt out. As she was finishing, a squirrel came close to her. She stopped, looked straight at the animal, and slowly sat down. The squirrel did not move. Erin extended her hand, and it came up and sniffed her fingers. She really loved animals and often gained their trust. Erin wondered what kinds of animals might be found in other countries.

Knowing that her son was not an early riser, Jean called out, Drew, you need to get up. Your father needs your help. There was no reply. Jean smiled, knowing how to get Drew out of bed. She raised her voice and said, Drew, I’ll come in there!

Drew’s eyes opened widely as he answered in a grumpy voice, What?

Jean said, Hurry up! Your father is waiting for you.

Yes, Mother. Drew was lying on his stomach with his head turned to the side. He closed his dark brown eyes and thought how unfair it was that he had to get up so early every morning, even though school was out for the summer. But he knew that if he didn’t get up now, his mother would walk into his room with a big grin and pull the sheet off his bed. So, he slowly got out of bed, dressed, and opened his door. Drew jumped as the broom fell. Oh, not again! he said, a little annoyed that Erin had gotten away with another prank.

He found his way into the main room of their home, where his mother was cooking. Where’s Dad? Drew asked abruptly.

Well, good morning to you, too, Andrew, she replied.

Sorry, Mother. Good morning, he said, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek.

Your father is behind the house cleaning the windows. Tell him breakfast will be ready soon, Jean said.

Yes, Mother, Drew said as he grabbed a slice of bacon and left the room.

Upon opening the front door, a light, cool breeze met him. It was filled with the smell of pine needles and a touch of smoke from the chimneys of the surrounding homes. The family’s house was on a slight hill that faced the Forest of Avon. The sun was still hidden behind the trees, and there was a thin mist covering the ground. It was the start of a beautiful day.

On his way around the house, Drew remembered his father talking about the Black Castle at Arnos. The walls of the castle were made of stones measuring two meters thick and eighteen meters high. He imagined a drawbridge at the entrance to the castle. Hundreds of years ago, the castle walls once surrounded a powerful nobleman. For a moment, he pictured himself as the nobleman and what it must have been like to live in such a large structure.

Drew reached the back of the house where his father was working and, with a big yawn, said, Good morning, Father.

Good morning, Son. Grab the sponge and start washing this window. I’ll dry it with a towel. It should take us about thirty minutes to finish cleaning these windows, and then after breakfast, I’ll take you to the sports store to get that tennis racquet you’ve been wanting, David said.

Yes, sir! said Drew, much more enthusiastically. He grabbed the sponge and quickly got to work.

David had spent several years teaching Erin and Drew how to play tennis, and they had picked up the game very easily. Both of them had begun to enter tournaments and had even started to win a few lately. Drew was fast and powerful, while Erin consistently used strategy.

Continuing to work, Drew recalled his father telling a story about the Black Castle and the knights who protected it against invading clans. He had explained how a knight would wear a special belt called a baldric. This belt was made of two straps of thick leather—one worn around the waist and the other worn over the shoulder. The sword was held in place on the back from left to right and a knife was at the waist. Both the sword and knife had scabbards that helped protect the blades and eliminate any noise when the knight would ride a horse or run.

Drew had always been curious about the stories his father told. Since his passion, like Erin’s, was to travel, the only question was how to fulfill their dream. He thought that maybe if he got good enough in tennis, he could join the circuit. Then, he chuckled, realizing how hard that would be!

After breakfast, Drew put his wallet in his back pocket and ran out of the house to the driveway where his father’s car was parked. He became impatient after waiting a while. He was thinking about returning to the house to see what was delaying his father, and it wasn’t long before he started running back.

Father, what is taking you so long? It seems like I’ve been waiting forever! Drew’s face reddened slightly as his agitation became apparent.

As a controlled disciplinarian, David looked at Drew and raised his left hand to signal Drew to be quiet. Not noticing, Drew continued to complain. Then, David said in a deep, loud voice, Drew, stop right now! Startled, Drew looked up at his father.

David said, You are my only son, and I love you. Please listen carefully to what I am about to say to you. I want you to fully understand. Now having Drew’s attention, David continued, You will become a better man by becoming a good listener instead of a fast talker. Attentiveness is a critical aspect of communications. The more you know about and understand someone, the greater the power you will have to communicate with that person, and the only way you will get that power is through listening to every word the person is saying without judgment. Listen to understand.

It was a defining moment for Drew. From that point on, he listened without interrupting. He watched his father’s facial expressions and noted the change of tone in his voice. He actually looked into his father’s eyes while he was talking. For the first time, he truly heard what his father was saying. Drew realized that it would benefit him to heed his father’s wisdom.

As they walked back to the car, David added, "You must learn to control your emotions. Stay calm